Catch up Article (Sorry It's so Long)

After about a month of inactivity, I've finally come back. This time, I'm a certified electrician (yay!!).  And there's been a lot happening. VIXX made their comeback with a

Netizens Verbal Attacks IMO

Recently, we've been seeing K-celebrities fighting back against spiteful netizens that go around spreading horrible rumors about them. Artists like JYJ, IU and Baek Ji Young have started to deal with these people by using the law.

Lee Yoo Rin IMO

Lee Yoo Rin isn't a name that you'd find on the internet for anything positive.  To be honest, until recently, if you googled her name, the only thing that would come up is her Twitter account.

Dongho Leaves U-Kiss

I'm sure that by now, all of my readers have heard the news that Dongho is leaving U-Kiss and that the group will continue as a six member group.  It's not a rare thing that a member of any particular group would decide to leave the group in order to grow as an artist or to focus on studies for a while.  But Dongho's reason for leaving is because he wants to live as a regular person.

Dongho's lifestyle as a celebrity must have been really burdensome for him, since he's even been getting sick.  For once, NH Media has done something smart by allowing Dongho to leave the company despite the fact that he has three years left on his contract.

I'm sure most of us will miss Dongho, but since it's his wish to live normally, I guess there's not much we can do about it.  He's still young, so I guess he can take any direction he wants when it comes to starting a new career.  I wish him the best of luck with all of his future endeavours.

Nicole Leaving KARA IMO

This is going to be a short one, I promise.  So Nicole isn't going to renew her contract with DSP Media, which means that in January, she will no longer be a member of KARA.  Fans are speculating that this is because she has been discriminated against since 2011, when she and two other members, Jiyoung and Seungyeon, entered a legal battle in an attempt to nullify their contracts.  However, they decided to remain a part of the group in the end.

I have only one thing to say.  These netizens need to stop assuming.  Every time someone leaves a group, they assume that it's because of some mistreatment. They were wrong about T-Ara, they were wrong about SNSD.  For the love of everything pink and adorable, just STOP!!!! It's annoying.


Update: Nicole has released a statement via her Twitter account explaining that she decided to leave DSP Media because she wants to do different things and grow as an artist.  She hopes that she can somehow work out a group contract with DSP so that she can remain a part of KARA, but she wants to sign a personal contract with a different company.

For those who are wondering if this is even possible, it is.  Former DSP artists, SS501, all left DSP Media.  Although they have yet to do any group promotions, they have worked out conditions where they can continue to promote as SS501 should they so choose.

Good luck to Nicole on pursuing her future career, wherever that may take her!

CJ E&M, Superstar K3 and Brad Controversy IMO

I've been unable to use the internet recently, thanks to my very reliable internet provider.  But it's back now and so am I.  

Today's post is about the whole Superstar K3, CJ E&M scandal with Brad Moore, including his interview and then later his Twitter response.  For those of you who haven't heard the story, this is the basic outline. Busker Busker's drummer (a white American named Brad) had an interview with a music site named Noisey.  During the interview, more than a few controversial statements came out about Superstar K3 and CJ E&M.  The points were:

1. Busker Busker had actually been invited to the show to add variety and fun. They didn't actually audition.

2. The performances that were aired on television weren't actually completely live, and many of them had to be edited after the initial recording due to low quality mics.

3. All the money earned by the contestants during the show (for advertising different products and guest appearances etc.) went to CJ E&M/Mnet.

4. Dorm life was strict and domineering, and that they were constantly pressured to take botox shots as well as wear makeup whenever going out in public.

5. The result of the show was scripted, i.e. Ulala Session was scripted to win.

6. Busker Busker's haitus after releasing their first album was simply because the trio wanted to rest after being overworked.

You can read the full interview here. It's in English, so you'll be able to get the full scope of what was said and the amount of damage it has done to all those parties involved.

Reps from both companies responded almost immediately.  The official stance of Superstar K3 was that Brad doesn't have a full understanding of the Korean entertainment industry.  Not only that, but he probably also didn't intend for the interview to come out in such a negative way. They explained the whole advertising funds issue away by stating that the contract to do certain advertisements (e.g Coca-Cola) was between the show and the company, and that it was a part of the contestants duty as a part of the show. And in response to the dorm life and cosmetic processes, they said that the show aired the members going to receive different cosmetic treatments and that this is just a part of the training to become a professional singer in the Korean entertainment industry.

CJ E&M made it clear that they have already paid out those involved with the ad that Moore mentioned and that there is no bad blood between the company that was in charge of their first national tour and the band. They also stated that many music programs do a bit of "touching up" when it comes to live performances.  

Reps from both parties went on to explain that Busker Busker was not scouted, but invited to attend the audition. And that they had not told them that Ulala Session would win, but what they would be expected to do if Ulala Session did win.

Busker Busker's agency responded to the article, saying that Brad had said that there were a lot of misunderstandings back then, and that a lot of the issues he spoke about were due to a lack of understanding of the culture.  

Brad also released a personal response via Twitter, stating that he really didn't understand how the industry worked back then and is now learning not only the language, but the culture and that all three members are happy. 

IMO: Honestly speaking, after reading the interview, I thought it was brave of him to speak up about the evils in the industry.  A lot of us enjoy kpop without knowing just how much our idols have to sacrifice to make us happy.  It was a great eye opener.  

I also believe that the reps dealt with this issue in a clean, positive way.  No one called anyone a liar.  While there may be a lot more under the surface, the face of peace is at the forefront, which is the way I probably would handle the situation as well.

That being said, a lot of people who read the three articles associated with this scandal had a mouthful to say about Moore's final statement. They seem to feel as if he's apologizing for what he said in the article and trying to eat his words.  They seem to be implying that there might be some pressure applied from the bigger companies involved. 

That's not the way I see it, though.  In the initial article and interview, Brad made a statement that pretty much says they have a lot more freedom than most artists in mainstream kpop do.  He also stated that they had to fight for it, but they're happy.  His Twitter response does not contradict those statements.  He's saying that a lot of the issues that he viewed as major problems are norms in the industry, and that he didn't know this because he didn't understand the culture.  He never said that they have had to returned to the lifestyle of normal kpop celebrities.  They are still enjoying the contractual terms that they fought for, but now he has a better understanding of what is going on in the industry.

My closing statements are that we all have an idea of what it's like in the kpop industry.  The celebrities give up a lot of their freedoms to give us what we love.  They work hard, even if they don't write and produce their own music, and often times they are underpaid.  This is all general knowledge to kpoppers.  Knowing this, we can either to continue to support the artists that we love and respect, and, by extension, support the companies and the industry itself, or we can protest and boycott and let the industry die.  The choice is yours.  Clicking your tongue at these companies won't help the situation if you continue to buy albums, watch music video and cast votes.  However, if you think about the artists who have chosen this lifestyle, I think it's best to continue to love and support them.  To many of them, seeing their fans watching them as they perform and smiling and waving at fan signings is the reason they enjoy what they do, and continue what they do.  So now I present to you the two choices, make everyone sad by abandoning the industry, or accept the industry for what it is and make everyone happy.  Quite frankly, the change will come as more artists step up and fight for their rights.  I'm personally going to just keep on supporting and wait quietly for the time when things really change.

IU and Clara Scandals

First, I'm going to start off with Clara, because quite frankly, I don't have much to say.  Her scandal is one that may seem a bit overrated.  She's being criticized for lying.  Not only that, but her image is so ruined by it that she may even lose some gigs because of it.  And, once again, I can't help but side with the general public on this.  I, personally, don't want a liar in my space.  It's hard to trust their words.  It's even worse because she's a celebrity and the things she's lying about are things that really don't matter.  No one really cares if she doesn't like chicken and beer.  Everyone cares that you lie about it though.  It's even worse because she's only known for her pretty face and "sexy" body.  I  honestly think it would be best for her to not do any more variety shows at the moment, or even ever.  She's a model, so she should d stick to doing commercials and photoshoots and making appearances at events. Variety shows are tricky to navigate and even the best get caught up on them.  Of course, it's easier for them to bounce back because they have actual talents that they can display for fans that goes beyond looking good.  Clara doesn't.  Therefore, her agency needs to be smart, not greedy, and let her do what she does best: look good.

Now on to IU's issues.  Recently, she's been making headlines quite often.  Her comeback is coming up and all of her fans are looking forward to it.  However, amongst this good news, there has been some nasty (and not so nasty) rumors floating around about her.  We all know about the Twitter picture scandal with Super Junior's Eunhyuk.  It seems that that has fueled hatred, not only among Eunhyuk's fans, but with her fans as well.  

Someone has been spreading rumors about Korea's little sister.  The rumors were that she was pregnant and either secretly engaged or secretly married to Eunhyuk (can't really remember which).  Either which way, it doesn't even matter any more because the person spreading the rumor has been caught.  

My opinion on this is that I think Leon Ent did a good job with ignoring the rumors to be honest. I mean, they feel as if because they ignored it, it got out of control.  But how often does pregnancy rumors spread about regular people.  I've had that rumor spread about me on at least two different occasions, in two different countries.  Most times, it's spread by some hateful person with nothing better to do with their time than to discuss someone else's life.  And it seems to be true in this case since the person spreading the rumors was not only an adult, but a man.  

Rumors like these can be hurtful, especially if you're living in a society where celebrities are supposed to be "perfect".  I still think these rumors were more humorous than anything else though.  Not as humorous as in, "Haha he made a funny."  More like humorous in, "Well, we know it's not true, but it would be so cool if they did get married." 

I personally think that Eunhyuk and IU make a cute couple.  I was actually a little disappointed when the original scandal broke out because I actually had this belief that they were a couple.  And then they both denied anything more than friendship.  

Anyway, I wish IU all the best on her comeback. I probably won't bother watching any lives since I'm not really a fan, but I'll watch the MV once it's released. 

How I Feel about Allkpop

Allkpop is a good source of information.  They keep their articles up to date with translators and their own personal journalists checking different sources constantly.  However, there are several things about this website that I, along with quite a few other people, have noticed and dislike.

1.  Allkpop tends to post a lot of articles on non-issues.  I mean, it's great that these celebrities are posting selcas, but must you write an article everytime one of them decides to use their Twitter and Instagram accounts?  I mean, seriously, we're already following them on every social network they join, we do NOT need to see an article that only has four sentences, if that many, because a celebrity took a picture of his or herself and posted it on their personal accounts.  Also, no one cares if one artist isn't a fan of another. We already know that JYJ have a tight friendship. Give us information we don't know or that we actually want.

2. Rumors have their place in the entertainment world.  And it's nice to know what's being said about what idols. But AKP has a habit of confirming rumors that haven't been confirmed.  So often they'll post "breaking" news, only for it to be denied by company reps and entertainers themselves.  They'll tell us that a couple has broken up only to find out a few hours later that they are still in a strong relationship.  Or we'll hear that two celebrities are in a relationship and this information was confirmed by an anonymous, but reliable, source, only to find out that the "reliable" source wasn't really all that reliable.  Rumors should be marked as rumors, not fact, especially if they haven't been confirmed by the parties directly involved or their reps.

3. AKP seems to have a bias towards certain artists.  There would be constant updates on certain celebrities, their names popping up at least once everyday.  And then, there are those artists that just rot away in the space of nothingness, despite the fact that they're doing more than those people in the spotlight.  I mean, some artists only need to post a selca to get attention, while others have to get in an accident, or a major scandal to even get mentioned in a two sentence post.  Kpop fans would really like  to know about all the artists they're following and not just the insanely popular.  There's also the fact that sometimes, an artist would get some recognition, but only that of the negative type.  They could donate their kidneys and AKP would ignore that, but if they tell a fan to stop stalking them, it becomes a major issue.  Things like that are a major turn off.

4. Fan wars seem to be a specialty of AKP.  They forever post articles that compare two artists or show some kind of discord between two or more artists.  And most time, it's not even anything important.  It could be a variety show clip where a member of one group says she/he doesn't listen to another group.  They word the title in such a way that it gives off a negative connotation.  However, this fault is not solely the fault of the staff of Allkpop, since the fans who comment seem to have nothing better to do than to bash the members of whichever group because they state that they don't like a particular group.   Still, a lot of these problems could be avoided if they would just stop trying to coin titles that would instigate problems among the fandoms.

Still though, AKP is the most current and updated source for K-entertainment news, so I'll continue to scourge within the depths of non-issues to find those articles that stir any emotions in me.  

Good News

It's a shame that these days, I usually have scandals and court cases to write about. It gets kind of depressing actually.  But recently, there was some good news on the different entertainment sites, and it was better than a new release or a selca.

Infinite's leader, Kim Sunggyu, is known among his fans for his good manners and bright smile (as well as his very squinty eyes).  His kind personality was once again showcased as he gave out money to some of his fans, that had stayed late into the night to support him, so that they would be able to catch taxis home.

Now, I don't really have much of an opinion on this, but my feels exploded when I read the article.  As an Inspirit, I'm proud that my favorite group (tied with B2ST) has such a kind hearted leader.  They've been around for about three years now (they debuted in 2010) and his kindness seems to only become more profound as time goes on.  I hope that it's a trend that we will continue to see in the future, not just from Sunggyu, but from all the other idols that have ever and still do display such basic kindness to their fans. 

JYPE To Release Up to 4 New Groups?

At a press conference, the CEO of JYPE (no, it's not JYP), Jung Wook, announced that the company will expanding it's services, maybe to include travel.  I love that idea.  Make it easier for fans to get tours and the likes.  It sounds nice.  An update to that article though stated that there are currently two boy bands and one girl band in preparation for debut.

I won't get down on the company about the Wonder Girls not having a comeback (one of the members just got married after all) or Miss A (who is actually under a subsidiary label) or 2AM's lack of promotions.  No, I won't get into all of that.  However, there is a bit of a problem for me.  You see, there's a duo that was promising to be really successful. Of course, I doubt many people still remember them, seeing as they got a few acting gigs but never promoted after they released their first single.

The duo's name is JJ Project and they were supposed to be a dance group, which was good because they had the talent to do so.  JB has a beautiful voice and is a good enough dancer and same with JR, who was in charge of rap.  They're both extremely good looking and young. You would think that the company would try to push them, seeing as they've already acted in two dramas (Dream High 2 and When A Man Loves) and their popularity has shown potential.  But no, they want to release at least three more groups into an already saturated music industry.  It just doesn't make much sense to me.

Of course, it's not really my problem or place to say that they shouldn't, but from a fan's perspective, I think they should focus on the few artists that they do have. SM and YG do a good job of promoting all of their artists, only letting one out of the spotlight when their popularity has truly died down, but never quite taking them off the market. They understand that fandoms, no matter how small, will spend money on the artists that they like, regardless of that artist's popularity.  And so, they continue to let them promote.  It may not be every six months like the more popular groups, but they still release music and we still see lives and photos and mini albums.

I'm ranting because, yes, I did actually like JJ Project.  I loved two out of three of their songs and it's a darn shame they aren't being pushed  to the forefront of the company.  It's almost like they never really existed.  I'll be content if they just do something for my boys. 

Drama Edition IMO - Ryu Shi Won

I recently came across an article that stunned me.  I mean, I was left completely speechless. I'll be the first to admit that I haven't been paying much attention to what's been going on in the acting world of Korean entertainment (I've even cut back my drama watching), so when I saw this particular article, I was shocked.

Ryu Shi Won has been found guilty of illegally tracking and threatening his wife.  The couple got married in 2010 and filed for divorce March of last year (2012).  The article isn't a hundred percent clear as to whether he installed the GPS tracking system in her car/cell phone before or after they filed for divorce, but it doesn't really matter.  When she found the device, she asked him to get rid of it.  He then ranted saying that he can get people to follow her and take pictures of where she goes and what she does, and that he is not a person to mess with.  The two were unable to reach a divorce settlement, so they're still technically married and still in court trying to end their relationship.

I wasn't sure whether I wanted to laugh or cry when I read the three articles that I had to read to understand what exactly was going on. There are also accusations of him slapping her cheek, which adds domestic violence to the long list of indictments.  But that's neither here nor there.  I felt like I was watching a melodrama while reading the articles.  

I actually liked Ryu Shi Won prior to this incident.  He's definitely a decent actor and I have a thing for more mature (old) entertainers.  I just love to see them.  Seeing this nasty side to him, well, it kind of scares me.  For one, the man was stalking his wife.  He claims that he installed the tracking device for the safety of his wife (who might I add is significantly younger than he is) and his young daughter.  Yet, he threatened her when she asked him to remove it by saying he'd get people to follow her and take pictures of where she is and what she's doing. That's just creepy.   

I'm really not quite sure if there's any good in this situation at all, which is a rare occurrence since I like to see the good in people. Either Mr. Ryu is extremely obsessive and possessive or he's extremely insecure.  Then again, he could just be a total nut.  I'm kind of hoping he needs medical (psychiatric) attention, because, well, maybe then I could blame it on that and feel sorry for him and watch his dramas without cringing whenever he shows up on screen.  But that's probably not the case.  In any event, he's definitely a problem to his soon to be ex-wife and they need to do something about that.  

I can't bring myself to hate him (or anyone else for that matter) but if they were to give him a very harsh sentence, I would probably agree to it. Jail time might help him realize that it's not okay to stalk anyone, including his wife. Either which way, I don't think it'd be smart to let him continue to walk the streets without at least some type of monitoring system.  Thinking about his wife and child, they deserve to be safe and to feel safe.  

For the first time, Ryu Shi Won, I'm not able to even try and side with you.  You are a first and a hall of famer. Congratulations!

Daniel's Drug Drama IMO

It all started in March of this year, when news that Daniel Choi of DMTN was involved in a marijuana scandal broke out. Of course, he wasn't acting alone, and there were five more persons involved in the investigations.  Daniel denied using the drugs; instead, he distributed them as a middle man. His company released a statement saying:

"Daniel immaturely and thoughtlessly believed that as long as he did not smoke himself, it wasn't a big crime, and that's what led to this incident."

Read more: http://www.allkpop.com/article/2013/03/dmtns-daniel-admits-to-selling-marijuana#ixzz2ec4lKCP9 

Later, when he went to court, Daniel admitted to actually smoking the marijuana.  Apparently, the source of the drugs initially supplied them to Daniel for Daniel's personal use, and then later Daniel introduced and distributed the mary jane to the other four people involved. His punishment?  We're not quite sure of that yet. What we do know is that the prosecution is demanding that he serve one year in prison as well as pay a hefty fine.  His lawyers are begging for leniency, claiming that Daniel's American background should be taken into consideration.

Here's my opinion.  First, I'm proud of Daniel for admitting his wrongdoing.  It had to take a lot for him to come out and admit that he not only used the drugs, but also distributed them.  There was another celebrity involved in this case, Bianca from "Global Talk Show - Chat with Beauties", but she fled the country and hasn't returned to this day.  He could have taken the same route, but he stuck it out.

Now that I've spoken to his integrity, I'll talk to the stupidity of his decision.  In the US, marijuana is illegal for recreational use, according to federal law.  Daniel was born and raised in California, where it was only just recently legalized for medicinal purposes. I don't care what anyone says, including him, he knew what he was doing was wrong.  Even though I'm not a US citizen or resident, I know people who get caught with marijuana end up serving some kind of sentence.  (This is common knowledge to me because a lot of drug traffickers use the Bahamas as a pit stop).  He can say he thought it wasn't as serious a crime as it really is, but the fact that most developed countries have not legalized the drug says more to me.

I honestly do hope that Daniel has learned from this experience.  I'm not quite sure whether I want him to serve the sentence or not.  The truth is, his career, which was just starting  to blossom after three long years, is pretty much shot down now.  And while I do believe he should be punished, the extent of his punishment is up for debate.  After all, this dude probably won't be allowed on broadcast for years to come.  He was a drug dealer...in South Korea.  He'll probably have to find some other source of income, too.  His company may be able to pull some strings where he can do music shows though.  Either which way, it'll take a very long time for him to make up for the loss of his initial three years.  And a year in prison might just force him to leave the industry, and maybe even the country, for good.   I think the fine and a lot of community service would serve better.  At least then, maybe he'd be able to work in a different company as a trainer or manager or something.

I also hope that this serves as a message to everyone watching. Even though you may be in  a position to push limits when it comes to the law, you shouldn't play around.  If it bites you, it'll leave a scar.  Ask Daniel, he knows.

 

Jenny Hyun (a late post, wrote it but never posted it)

Last week, a Korean-American singer/songwriter, Jenny Hyun, decided to go ham on Twitter.  Floyd Mayweather, a professional boxer, apparently offended her with a statement he made about Taiwanese basketball player, Jeremy Lin.  Basically, he said that Jeremy Lin is receiving so much recognition because he's Asian, and that Black people do the same thing all the time and are never recognized for it. Hyun, in response, made 19 tweets, 18 of which were directly attacking Black people and the last was an inconsiderate remark about the late singer, Whitney Houston.

I only just decided to write this blog post after I'd managed to contain my emotions enough to think clearly and write an entry without bashing Jenny Hyun.  You see, I'm a Black person.  Not African American, but Black (which is my ethnicity).

First off, let me say that I'm not naive enough to believe that racism has disappeared, or that people won't hate others simply because of race.  However, I would have never expected for someone who is supposed to be educated to make comments as hateful as the ones that she made.

"I know things won't change much, people don't see things in a bigger perspective than the immediate present.  They've been around so long we don't know what it's like with them not here. But imagine a world with NO BLACK PEOPLE. All the tension in every aspect of life would be drastically improved without them around.  And ONLY them. Think about all the money we would save not having to give to their never ending charities, replacing a black worker with any other race would see better efficiency, better quality work.  We don't have to tiptoe around race issues since everybody else in the world basically looks Hispanic or  Indian. You know I'm right, I know I'm right. Even THEY know I'm right.  Someone DM'd me asking me why my sudden open dislike/hatred towards blacks.  You're getting me all wrong if you think I hate black people.  My conclusion is unbiased. It's like deciding to amputate a limb from gangrene.  It has to be done, the patient will feel better afterwards. Eradication of one toxic family is exactly what this world needs. Floyd Mayweather disrespecting Jeremy Lin because he's Asian? Dude, come back when your people learn how to be human. Floyd Mayweather, your people brag about all the muscles they have except for the muscle that actually counts. #Neanderthal. Fucking idiot. You should be WORSHIPPING Asians you sub-human, ungrateful APE @FloydMayweather. Your culture is DISGUSTING, your people are equally as DISGUSTING. Disrespectful, arrogant, violent, stupid...Congratulations, YOU HAVE A BIG DICK. So do whales and elephants.  The only way Black people are able to advance in any way is through white people.  It reminds me of a little something called SLAVERY. It reminds me of a little something called LEECHING.  Also something called MOOCHING.  It reminds me of CANCER. It reminds me of the FLU. It reminds me of AIDS. So Whitney Houston was that much of a loss? Is it even worth listening to such a beautiful voice if it also comes with ALL THAT BAGGAGE?"

Normally, I don't care much for arguments over the internet. And I always call wrong, wrong.  In this situation, I believe Floyd Mayweather was actually right.  I don't know why anyone would think that he was attempting to insult Jeremy Lin because he was Asian.  He was simply stating that Jeremy Lin did something that most Asians don't, and it's the truth.  Black people are the stars of basketball, and only the very best get the awesome endorsements that Lin has been offered recently.

Now, on to her comments. I feel kind of stupid for even discussing this, since she's obviously an idiot. But honestly, I never dreamed someone of Korean descent would ever say things that she said. Reason being, we have a shared history.  Koreans were treated so horribly by other Asian countries.  They had their territories stolen, sold and fought over in the past.  You would think that that alone would be enough for some empathy. The fact that she brought slavery into the picture was just another display of ignorance.  I wonder if she realized that Blacks were made slaves because we were NOT violent, yet we were strong.  No other race could handle the beatings, the work and the climate as well as Black people could.

She commented on our intelligence, yet she either didn't know or refused to believe that the first universities were located in Africa. Egypt, one of the worlds first great cities was ruled by Black Egyptians.  Alexander the Great visited Egypt back in the day, and white people shot off the noses of the statues because the faces that they saw were those of Black descent. To this day, the pyramids, though eroded, still stand proud, declaring the genius of Black people. The Queen of Sheba was famous (even in Bible days) for her wisdom. George Washington Carver discovered the peanut and it's many uses as well as quite a few other inventions.

Black people are leaders in peaceful protests. When fighting for their rights in America, the leaders of the fight for equality all protested peacefully.  Not only did they never draw first blood, they almost never retaliated when they were attacked.  Rosa Parks was brutally beaten, just because she refused to give up her seat.  Yet, she didn't fight back.  She took the beating and then moved on with her life. She is only one of many that stood her ground firmly but peacefully. People like Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X also prove that, unlike the stereotype so attributed to Blacks, we have a gentle nature about us, a peaceful and calm nature.

My country was also a slave country at one point.  It is now predominantly Black, and I am proud to say that we have never had any wars of our own to fight.  We gained the right of our freedom without bloodshed.  Yes, a predominantly Black country did that.

Spreading hate against a whole race just because you don't like what one person said is the epitome of ignorance. The sad part is that she must really believe the words that she said.  Words said in anger normally reflect the general attitude of the speaker.  People like her are the reason the poisonous generalizations and stereotypes continue to be spread and taught.  If you have a prejudice against an entire race or nationality, the problem probably isn't them.  It's you.  Think about that.

T-Ara and Hwayoung Scandals

Still on my "catch up" run.  Last year, T-Ara got caught up in a bullying scandal. I'm sure anyone who follows K-pop is aware of what happened since it was pretty much a huge deal.  Basically, there was a rumor going around that Hwayoung was being bullied, and then she left T-Ara.  That's the gist of the story.  There were the ever present "evidence" found by netizens to prove that Hwayoung was bullied, and then the official statements released by Core Contents Media (CCM), but they were standard.

Apparantly, the back story is that Hwayoung had gotten cocky after a while and her attitude had gotten nasty, which caused the other members enough frustration to mention it on Twitter.  This was part of the alleged bullying.

Now for my opinion.  There really wasn't much to the story, at first, I felt bad for Hwayoung and decided that I would support her and not T-Ara.  But then when the articles about her personality came up, I wasn't sure if I felt the same way.  You see, the evidence that the netizens dug up were videos and photos from variety shows.  I watch enough variety shows to know that it's not necessarily bad feelings that come out during the punishment segments, rather a group of people having fun at one person's expense.  It's actually quite common since the punishments are almost always either extremely painful or humiliating.

I no longer thought of the bullying as actual bullying. Maybe the members were just venting their frustrations. It's not like they chose her out of the blue to make her life a living hell just because they didn't 'like her.  It went a lot deeper than that.  She was becoming lazy and arrogant.  And whether or not you'd like to admit it, she was slacking on a job that's based on appearances.  Since she was in a group, her lack of discipline and humility would bring the whole group down.

In the end, the group and Hwayoung parted, with the latter giving a tearfilled apology.  I honestly can't see why she would apologize if she were wronged.  She didn't only apologize to the fans (which is normal in their culture) but she also apologized to the company, which indicates that she had indeed wronged them.

Now a days, though, Hwayoung is busy studying.  Studying what? We do not know.  She had taken a leave of absence from university to focus on her career, and so it may be that she's back in school.  However, she's also mentioned an interest in acting, so she may be studying for a role in a film or drama.  Either which way, I wish her the best of luck and hope that she maintains a good attitude this time around.

Block B Scandals IMO

Over the past two years, these young men have been fighting a war.  To be honest, I'm not quite sure where or when it started.  I remember there was a huge scandal over U-Kwon giving a fan's gift to his girlfriend. Then it was later made public that he was dating an older model, Jun Sun Hye.

Thankfully, there wasn't too much noise about this news. Of course, that may have been because he announced it himself.  

Then, in February of last year, all hell broke loose.  An interview was held and released in Thailand.  The problem wasn't the interview itself.  Rather, the boys playful attitude was misrepresented in the article that was released, which caused them to look insensitive and immature.  This interview was held right after the flood in Thailand and the boys were  hosting a charity event for the Thai. However, the person who wrote the article didn't write the entire response to a question, and instead of the boys' sincerity showing through, it appeared as though they were making fun and teasing the people of Thailand. To make things worse, 2PM member, Nichkhun, who just happens to be Thai, blasted the group on Twitter, which caused a lot of people who didn't know about the interview to find out.  Because of Nichkhun's reaction, many BBC's, and Koreans in general, showed their disappointment.  Broadcast stations had no choice but to limit their appearances.  After what seemed like an infinite amount  of apologies from both Block B and their agency, Zico, in a last attempt to make things right, shaved his head and the boys went into an early hiatus to reflect on their actions. 

It was then announced that Zico and ex-T-Ara member, Hwayoung, were dating. However, this information was never confirmed by the company or Zico or Hwayoung, so I'm not quite sure whether or not to believe it. According to allkpop, "an employee who wishes to remain anonymous" confirmed it.  

The boys made their comeback in late 2012, with Nillili Mambo, which was actually quite successful.  However, the scandal continued when they decided, earlier this year, to sue their company.  Apparently, the members hadn't been paid since March 2012. On top of that, CEO Lee had solicited the boys parents for money and then disappeared with it.  What the Block B members were appealing for was the lost money, the unpaid wages and the nullification of their exclusive contract with Stardom Entertainment. During the trial, it was discovered that the former CEO had committed suicide. Another devastating blow was dealt to the boys when, in June, the courts ruled in favor of the company. 

The members were unwilling to accept that verdict and together decided that they could not, and would not, promote under their agency anymore.  Instead, they would promote independently, without any ties to any company, a feat that was perfectly possible because Zico was their producer anyway. P.O released a mixtape and the other members have either been extremely quiet, or have been featured artists in other artists music.

Finally, there is good news for Block B! Stardom Entertainment transferred their contracts to a different agency and the boys are gearing up for a comeback. 

Now for the part where I give my opinions. 

1. U-Kwon's dating scandal is a non-issue for me.  I think he's handsome as bricks and extremely talented but once again, it's not really my business to get upset and cry. 

2. The Thai interview scandal was one that caused me a LOT of anger and pain.  As you've probably come to realize, I hate to see people wronged.  And while the boys are known to be immature, I think misrepresenting their words and actions was a horrible thing to do.  I honestly hope the person who did it has thought seriously about the damage they have caused and won't do it to any other artists. (I will admit though, for the longest period of time, I wanted nothing but for that journalist to be fired.)

3. Zico and Hwayoung dating:  Normally, I don't care too much for dating rumors...unless it's with two artists, or actors, that I really like.  But this one kind of threw me for a loop. It was never officially confirmed by the people who need to confirm it, so I'm not quite sure if I should be throwing out congratulations and all of that nice stuff.  Quite frankly, I think AKP has officially lost credibility with dating rumors. Let's be real, anyone can see interactions and misunderstand it.  I've been accused of flirting with people I don't find attractive in any way, and this was by a person that I was fairly close to. Saying that an employee confirmed it, but the company denies the rumors and neither Zico nor Hwayoung have confirmed it makes no sense to me.  It's still a rumor and not official until someone official states that its true.  

4. The Lawsuit: I can honestly see where the courts are coming from.  They can only judge based on what they know and in their opinion, based on the information they were given, the company wasn't intentionally withholding money from the group.  However, I was in full support of the members when they decided not to do any group promotions under their company. They were not being disrespectful and they were playing by the rules of the law.  They would promote independently, not with another company.  Therefore, they were not breaking their exclusive contract.  Of course, I longed for a comeback, and the uncertainty of when that would come was eating me alive.  

5. New Agency:  I'm extremely happy at the way this has been handled so far.  I guess Stardom has learned something from the SM vs JYJ case and has decided to let the boys go free. I'm genuinely happy on all levels.

I'm Back

So, it's been over a year since I left, and now I'm finally back.  So much has happened in the past year and a half - both in my personal life and in the world of kpop.  

It seems that the trends of 2013 were public relationships and major company scandals.  The boys of Block B had more than their share of scandal, Seungri (Big Bang) was involved in a sex related scandal (no surprise there), Daniel (Dalmatian/DMTN) got caught in a drug case, Lee Hyori is getting married and the list can go on and on.  I'll be going back in time to give my views on each and every one of the major scandals of late 2012 - 2013 before the year is out, don't worry.

During my time away, I've started listening to more non-idols, and I can't wait to share some of my favorite songs with you all. I haven't quite developed a favorite artist yet, but I'm leaning towards Ra.D and Urban Zakapa.  I'm also in love with Verbal Jint. Either which way, every day, starting today (only later because I'm currently two hours late for school), I'll be posting a MV from one of those non-idol artists that I love. 

I'll be back later with two posts. See you then! :)